Only one day off for Christmas?
Posted: December 24th, 2008 | Author: Moey | Filed under: Amman, Jordan | 13 Comments »Not fair.
Totally not fair, I understand that in countries such as UK, USA and Europe the majority of people are Christian that’s why they have longer vacations.
There is a good amount of Christians around us, why not have a longer vacation? One day? So, A Muslim university student gets a week vacation (9 days if you enclude weekends) and can travel and meet his family, while a christian has one day off?
That is not fair and is kinda racist.
In UK & the US, where the majority of people are Christians, they get only two days off for Christmas. The 24th and 25th, no more. Why? Because Christmas is only one single day. They get a day off on that holy day, and another day to prepare for things.
Eid for Muslims is not just one single day, and that’s why we don’t get just two days off for Eid. Eid is three days for Eid Al-Fitr and four days for Eid Al-Adha. Christmas is Eid for Christians. Our Eids (Muslims & Christians) do not have the same amount of days, so how do you want the holidays for these Eids to have the same amount of days?
Conclusion, I don’t see the unfairness & racism.
I wouldn’t use the term racist because it has nothing to do with race.
If you are a Muslim in Sweden you will get only one day off for the Eid holidays and at least 9 days for the Christmas holidays.
This is actually being fair, giving long holidays for occasions that the majority doesn’t celebrate isn’t fair.
i think christians can take 3 days off , the public holiday is one day, which is good enough i think
I’m sure Muslims in non-Muslim countries will share your sentiments during Muslim holidays over there
When in Rome, you have to live like the Romans.
At my company they don’t give us even 1 day off for Christmas.
other than what’s been said, christians are about 5% if not less of the population (the numbers are, according to some, decreasing for various reasons).
with that being established, it should also be noted that in most christian countries, muslims do not get any days off for either eid al adha or eid il fitir. in canada we even used to get days off on jewish holidays even though i think the number of muslims are more.
citizens of such countries are allowed to take a day off on religious grounds, but the whole country doesn’t close up shop for a small minority of the population like is done in jordan.
Amjad, my brother studies in the UK. He attends the university of Leeds, and he currently has a month vacation and is spending it with my parents back home while I have 1 day off on the 25th and I’m staying home alone. And although Christmas symbolizes the birth of Christ, which is a 1 day event, Christians always celebrate Christmas Eve with a dinner, and then visit people over the next few days. We’re not asking for a week but atleast a few days.
Thanks Moey
Amjad, why are Muslim eids celebrated with several days, while Christian ones are only celebrated with only one? It’s called the holiday season, not the holiday day! Think about it!
Shadz – and you think the whole country will be on holiday for a whole month just for Christmas? Universities can give whatever days off they want, the official holiday is only two days – Christmas Eve and Christmas day. I myself study in the US and I’m currently in a one-month long holiday. But this holiday is not given to us for Christmas, it’s given to us for the end of semester and as a winter break. Official Christmas holiday is only two days.
Joe – different religions, different customs.
this isnt only about christmas this is about christmas, easter and everything else…if u work then you can take an unpaid day off! if you go to university you might take a fay off but if u do they give u about a billion things to do in ur so called holiday so u do nothing but work and study..but when it comes to eid holiday in my case it was 11 days! 11!! and dont tell me celebrations are for 3 or 4 days! the eid is one day! just like u celebrate it for the following couple of days we do too…christmas is an entire month of celebration..but ur lucky to get a day off to put up ur tree! dont tell me thats fair! we’re more than 200,000 christians in the country..and even if there was only one he shoulde still be entitled to celebrating and taking a day off.
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Thanks for thinking of us, Moey.
It is a drag for Christian business’ to be forced to be closed during ten days long Eids. Even though Christians are supposed to be able to take more days off, it is one of those ‘unspoken’ no-nos to push it.
One thing I don’t like: empty-hanaat is ALWAYS over Christmas, making it difficult and stressful for students and mothers and detracting from the peace we are called to.
The US and UK are not really ‘Christian countries’ you can’t even use the word ‘Christmas’ in schools. Unless I arranged an extra day off, it was one day off and half of Christmas Eve. Since most people want the Christmas-New Year time period off, not everyone gets it anyway.
I’m glad Jordan give one day off for everyone at Christmas, but it does mean that the traditional amount of visiting family and friends has to be done after work the days following. Part of being a minority.
You can use the word Christmas here (UK). Everyone one does even in London. Officially only Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day are holidays, however many offices are closed from Christmas Eve until 5th Jan at least that how it is in my sector.